Thursday, March 21, 2013

Statement From Michelle Shocked: "I'm Very Sorry"

Yeah. Well, first the statement. For what it's worth I'll add my own thoughts after it soon.

The statement comes from SPIN (it's apparently all over the place), and they rightly say it "finds her apologizing for the supposedly misunderstood speech":

I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that. I believe intolerance comes from fear, and these folks are genuinely scared. When I said "Twitter that Michelle Shocked says "God hates faggots," I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted. The show was all music, and the audience tweets said they enjoyed it. The commentary came about ten minutes later, in the encore.

And to those fans who are disappointed by what they've heard or think I said, I'm very sorry: I don't always express myself as clearly as I should. But don't believe everything you read on facebook or twitter. My view of homosexuality has changed not one iota. I judge not. And my statement equating repeal of Prop 8 with the coming of the End Times was neither literal nor ironic: it was a description of how some folks - not me - feel about gay marriage.

The show, and the rant, was spontaneous. As for those applauding my so-called stance that "God Hates Faggots," I say they should be met with mercy, not hate. And I hope that what remains of my audience will meet that intolerance with understanding, even of those who might hate them.

Folks wonder about my sexuality, but denying being gay is like saying I never beat my husband. My sexuality is not at issue. What is being questioned is my support for the LGBT community, and that has never wavered. Music and activism have always been part of my work and my journey, which I hope and intend to continue. I'd like to say this was a publicity stunt, but I'm really not that clever, and I'm definitely not that cynical.

But I am damn sorry. If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them. I say this not because I want to look better. I have no wish to hide my faults, and - clearly - I couldn't if I tried.

(Also from SPIN) Read a follow-up statement from Shocked:

I believe in a God who loves everyone, and my faith tells me to do my best to also love everyone. Everyone: gay or straight, stridently gay, self-righteously faithful; left or right, far left, far right; good, bad, or indifferent. That’s the law: everyone.

I may disagree with someone’s most fervently held belief, but I will not hate them. And in this controversy, that means speaking for Christians with opinions I in no way share about homosexuality. Will I endorse them? Never. Will I disavow them? Never.

I stand accused of forsaking the LGBT community for a Christianity which is – hear me now – anathema to my understanding of faith. I will no doubt take future flack for saying so. I’m accused of believing that “God hates fags” and that the repeal of Prop 8 will usher in the End Times. Well, if I caused such an absurdity, I am damn sorry. To be clear: I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of any so-called faith preaching intolerance of anyone. Again, anyone: straight or gay, believers or not: that’s the law.

That means upholding my punk rock values in the most evangelical enclaves and, in this case, speaking up for the most fearful of fundamentalists in, well, a San Francisco music hall full of Michelle Shocked fans.

My first thoughts: What a load of bullshit.

'When I said "Twitter that Michelle Shocked says "God hates faggots," I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted.' [...]

"And my statement equating repeal of Prop 8 with the coming of the End Times was neither literal nor ironic: it was a description of how some folks - not me - feel about gay marriage."

Is anyone buying this? This was all a misunderstanding, because the words she used that night at Yoshi's didn't reflect her thinking - she was talking about how others think? And she totally doesn't even like how those others think anyway?

It's hard to not get angry at that.

I'm guessing Michelle Shocked had herself an ugly realization of something I about wrote yesterday, which were, as I said, my better five-eighths' thoughts:

MS has shot her tour for her manager, her roadies, her techs, her merchandise people, for the people who own and work at the venues. She has sadly screwed a bunch of people here - not just herself.

Good luck trying to scrape a tour back together, Michelle. Sincerely. And good luck trying to explain all of this - to yourself.

3 comments:

There's now audio of her rant. This was posted on SF Bay Guardian's website and is available on Soundcloud.

It's from when she first came out for the 2nd set. The audience is clearly on her side in the beginning, then it all goes downhill. You can hear peeps talking back to her quite clearly, the Yoshi's manager pulling the plug, people leaving, chairs being moved out of the way as people leave, people in the bar/back of club cheering others who are joining them, MS angrily going into one last song without the mike, then (believe it or not) PASSING THE HAT for donations as she realizes she's just flushed her career down the toilet.

About Me

I'm Thom Little a.k.a. Little Thom, writer and blogger for a bizarrely successful American non-fiction book series, and a wildly successful singer/songwriter (in my dreams). I live in Australia with Tin Tin.